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Everybody Else is Doing it Part 3....

Given the 'excitement' of the last few days, Chadman feels it is an ideal time to update his ever changing mock draft.

This time around there are a few more considerations-

1. The Steelers, by signing both Ryan Clark & Will Allen, look to have taken away the 'need' to draft a Safety. Not saying they WON'T draft one, but they certainly won't take one without considering other options.

2. Pretty good bet to remove WR all together at this point after adding 2 more in Arnaz Battle & Antwaan Randle El.

3. Jon Scott takes away the need to use a mid-round choice on a 'back-up' OT. Unless the Steelers are looking at a starting OT early, might remove OT all together.

5. Compensatory picks- using the projected extra 2 5th round picks & the extra 7th really gives the Steelers plenty of options in the draft. It's too hard to predict trades, so Chadman will assume the Steelers use all 10 picks at this point. (In reality, Chadman will expect some moving up & down & the Steelers might actually use closer to 6 picks).

Re: Everybody Else is Doing it Part 3....

Ok, so Iupati has some barnacles on him in regards to pass blocking. But then, so did Kemo coming out of college. The benefit of playing at OG is that he should recieve help from either side in pass protection. And he looks coachable. Coach Kugs is known to implement a blocking system that works to the strengths of the individual, so he might be able to minimise the pass protection errors. The bonus is, Iupati is a devestating run blocker. Just a beast. And with Mr Rooney's desire for the Steelers to improve the running game, adding Iupati moves in that direction. Given that his main competition appears to be Trai Essex & Jon Scott, Iupati is every chance of being an immediate impact player for the Steelers.

Pass blocking: Good initial quickness off the snap. Provides a significant jolt to the defender with his punch. Too high in his pass protection but has the strong hands to latch on to the defender and ride him throughout the play. Good balance and lateral agility to slide with the defender and remain square. Can get himself in trouble with leverage by playing too high. Long arms and great lower strength to lock out. Rarely takes a step back even against a powerful bull rush, but this could be an area of concern against NFL defensive linemen, especially when Iupati fails to move his feet. Has developed into a savvy blocker. Looks to help out his teammates when not covered. Wants to hit someone.

Run Blocking: Can dominate as a run blocker due to his mass and rare upper-body strength. Provides an explosive initial pop that often knocks the defender back. Has to do a better job of latching on, as he'll knock his opponent back only to see him regroup and get back into the play. Very good drive blocker when he plays with leverage and keeps his hands inside. Can physically remove the defender from the hole. Looks to eliminate more than one defender on the play and will release to the second level. Good effort downfield.

Pulling/trapping: Surprisingly agile in getting out and blocking at the second level. Good body control and straight-line speed for a player of his size. Can re-adjust in space to hit the linebacker. Fails to lock onto the defender, at times, preferring to violently shove his target to the ground and look for others.

Initial Quickness: Good initial quickness off the snap in pass protection. Even on the rare occasions when beaten off the snap, his long arms and wide-body make it difficult for defenders (including blitzing linebackers) to sneak through his gap. When beaten by quicker defensive tackles in the running game, has the agility and long arms to catch them as they slide by, typically knocking them down and pancaking them.

Downfield: Intimidating presence on the move. Good athleticism and balance for a man his size and can redirect to make the effective block when he gets close. Will misjudge angles at times, and miss his intended target. When he does so, rather than turn to stand helplessly around the pile, he moves on to the next target. Good effort to block downfield.

Intangibles: Made significant progress over the past two seasons and appears to be just scratching the surface of his potential. Size and athleticism combination enough that some will view him as a better offensive tackle or even defensive tackle prospect. Born in American Samoa and moved to the United States at 14. Began learning English (and football) at that time. Has only played football since high school. Signed with Idaho after bigger programs had concerns about his ability to qualify academically. Voted team captain by his peers for 2009.

Re: Everybody Else is Doing it Part 3....

A big contributor on a good defense. Confident, aggressive & technically sound. While the Steelers solidified themselves at FS, the CB position opposite Ike Taylor is still up for grabs. Such a deep draft for CB, you almost HAVE to take one. Kind of reminds Chadman of Bryant McFadden in some ways. Could contribute early, and often.

Read & React: Good route recognition. Reads the body lean of his opponent and has the athleticism to react accordingly. He anticipates the path of the ball and extends to reach around a receiver to break up passes. Reads run quickly and attacks the run on the perimeter.

Man Coverage: Good bump-and-run corner. Provides a good, physical pop at the line of scrimmage and keeps his hand on the receiver downfield to control. Good use of body to push the receiver outside, using the sideline to help cut off the space in which the quarterback can throw the ball. Allows too much separation on deep routes and has stiffness in his hips when suddenly changing direction. Face guards at this level, but won't be allowed to do so in the NFL.

Zone Coverage: Good awareness for zone coverage. A bit high in his backpedal and has some stiffness in his hips, but trusts his eyes and locates the football quickly. Savvy, physical player. Likes to use his hands to re-route the receiver. Has quick feet and a good burst out of his breaks to close.

Closing/Recovery: Lacks an elite second gear to recover if beaten initially, but has an impressive burst downhill to close on the ball. Plants his foot and drives, showing good body control to adjust around the receiver and get his hands on the ball. Times his leaps well and has an explosive vertical. Good hand-eye coordination and ball skills to extend and pluck outside of his frame.

Run Support: Aggressive to the line of scrimmage to help against the run, protecting the edge and forcing the back to cut back inside. Fights through the receiver's block and has the agility to elude bigger blockers in tight quarters. Good vision and effort to cut through the trash in pursuit. Takes good angles in pursuit.

Tackling: Strong wrap-up tackler. Brings his hips through and can be a big hitter on the boundary. Willing to face up bigger ballcarriers. Will lead with his shoulder when he sees the receiver in a vulnerable position. Good strength for the drag-down tackle when trailing the receiver across the middle.

Intangibles: Highly competitive player that puts in time in the film room. Asked for his grade from the NFL Advisory Committee, but didn't read it upon receiving it. Jackson gave the unopened envelope to Nick Saban to hold until after the BCS National Championship game so that the contents wouldn't be a distraction.

Re: Everybody Else is Doing it Part 3....

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I'd rather take C.J. Spiller than Iupati! I'd rather take a QB than Iupati. Let's give Urbik a chance. Sorry Chadman, just my opinion.
I like your sig mock much better. Jackson in Rd. 2 is

Re: Everybody Else is Doing it Part 3....

When you look for an ILB for a 3-4, there are a couple of ways you can find the guy you want. You can grab the physical specimen, the athletic freak that can completely blow away opponants with speed & power- you know, Lawrence Timmons/ Patrick Willis types. OR...you take the smart, savvy guy that knows his assignment, knows where to be & when- your James Farrior's.

Or your Sean Lee's.

This guy is good, make no mistake. He's Paul Posluszny without the 1st round grade. Great character, good career record.

Read & React: Excellent football intelligence. Rarely blows an assignment. Reads his keys almost instantly and runs to the ball with no wasted motion. Shows controlled aggression against play-action. Quickly diagnoses screens and misdirection.

Run defense: Time away from the field allowed him to increase his upper- body strength. Relies on quick hands and feet to disengage from blocks, and is not afraid of taking on linemen in the hole. Still struggles to release when effectively tied up. Flows through the traffic efficiently. Good lateral agility and balance to protect his legs. Good straight-line speed in pursuit, especially for the inside linebacker position. High effort player who takes good angles in pursuit. Has the speed to meet ballcarriers on the edge at the college level but will not get to the outside against most NFL backs.

Pass defense: Understands routes and has enough straight-line speed to stay with most running backs and tight ends. High backpedal, but has improved his drop to get deep enough to prevent first downs. Can change direction when running downhill smoothly, but doesn't flip his hips quickly. Very good key-and-diagnose skills and a good burst to close, but is clearly more comfortable moving forward to the line of scrimmage than in reverse. Has trouble recovering in the few instances in which he bites on play action.

Tackling: One of Lee's greatest assets. Fundamentally sound wrap-up tackler who could provide the animated examples for hit-lift-drive. Plays on the balls of his feet and has the body control to break down in space and tackle smaller, shiftier ballcarriers. Long arms and accurate hands to trip up the ballcarrier. Could develop more explosiveness as a hitter. Reliable open-field tackler, but not an intimidator.

Pass Rush/Blitz: Often asked to blitz in this scheme as a stand-up rusher. Good initial burst from the outside to get past the tackle. Needs to improve his explosiveness to quickly disengage from blockers. Shows some lower-body strength and use of leverage for the bull rush, but could improve in this area. Only marginal use of pass-rush technique -- relies on his good lateral agility and straight-line speed to elude. Good closing speed on the quarterback and has the body control to re-direct. Times his blitzes effectively with the snap count.

Intangibles: Unquestioned leader of the defense despite missing the 2008 season with a torn ACL in his right knee. Traveled with the team as a coach on the sideline and during practice. Held out of spring practices and returned this fall after nearly 15 months away from football. Blue-collar work ethic. Highly competitive. Brother was a placekicker for the University of Pittsburgh.

Re: Everybody Else is Doing it Part 3....

I don't feel that Urbik will be the answer at RG. His complete absence last year gives me doubt. While Iupati is not an "exciting" pick, I can definitely see it happening. Having Kemo pull and seeing those two bearing down on you would be a scary sight. Improving our Oline improves the team a a whole as we all know. At some point we need to add premium talent via first round picks into the OL. I don't care if we won the SB with the oline we have. We got there because our defense was completely lights out all season, and Ben pulled a rabbit out of his arse time and time again. I want us to draft Weatherspoon, because if we don't the Patsies will and he will probably end up being a perrenial pro-bowler, which will really chap my azz! All that said, I bet you are dead on in the end, Mr. Chadman!

Re: Everybody Else is Doing it Part 3....

With all the talk of Terrence Cody being the ideal 3-4 NT, this guy has almost slipped under the radar. Until the combine, that is, where he blew away all & sundry with a great workout. Showed great athletic ability to go with a terrific body for the 3-4. Very strong- even with long arms, benched 39 reps. Only a junior, and from memeory, only 23, so can afford to sit behind Casey for a year or two & learn how to become a dominant NT.

Pass rush: Looks like a nose tackle but plays like a three-technique, penetrating and getting consistent pressure when fresh. Good closing speed for his size, swallows up quarterbacks that lack great elusiveness. Straight-ahead runner, however with limited lateral quickness, will not break down to change direction in the backfield.

Run defense: Adequate anchoring against double-team blocking due to thick legs and a wide upper body and will move to the ballcarrier after he's through the line. Can be moved and doesn't rip off blocks to stop the play before it starts. Willing to chase down the line and downfield between the tackles if he sees the ball in his area. Susceptible to the cut block. Not strong enough to arm tackle backs in the hole.

Explosion: Surprising quickness off of the snap for his size, gets into his gap in a hurry when fresh. Does not deliver much pop to his opponent with his hands on initial contact, however, relying on athleticism to get the job done.

Strength: Does not play as strong as you would think because he plays high and does not consistently use his hands to disengage. Does not reset his hands, get leverage by getting his hands under pads, or attempt to churn his legs after contact to push his man into the backfield.

Tackling: Length and wide body allows him to engulf players in his path. Gives effort to chase, can be effective when well rested. Gets a lot of assisted tackles because of his hustle. Does not sink his hips when approaching the ball, however, and is easily eluded by quicker players in space.

Intangibles: Part of a rotation inside, possibly due to stamina issues. Looks to be winded when playing two consecutive series. Dropped 70 pounds after his freshman season (came to EUC at more than 370 pounds) due to a back injury, regained 20 before 2008 season.

According to the highest office in the country, some "very fine people" marched with torches in a violent protest in Charlottesville, but participating in a non-violent protest on a football field means you are an S.O.B. who should be fired.